Akathist to St. Ephraim of Nea Makri, the Righteous
Martyr and Wonderworker

written by Fr. Gerasimos
Mikragiannanitou (of the Skete of Little St. Anne's, Mount Athos)

Note: The following is an amateur translation from the Greek, and as such,I request reviewing the translation before any public / liturgical use. Also note that the meter of this translation is not set to match the original music.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth
Tone

You dawned like a newly-revealed star
through the revelation of your holy Relics, O Father, and you shine
upon all with the rays of wonders, but ever fulfill the entreaties of
those who faithfully hasten to you, O Saint Ephraim, and cry to you:
hail, O blessed Father.

You were sent from heaven, like another
angel [Gabriel], and showed us grace (3), through which you gladden
each of the faithful, O Righteous Martyr Ephraim, with the divine
Spirit. Therefore we bless you, and cry to you with words like these:

Hail, you who formerly struggled well,
Hail, you who recently revealed
yourself.
Hail, O cause of rejoicing,
Hail, O center of joy.
Hail, newly-enlightening star of the
Church of Christ,
Hail, double-edged sword against the
madness of the foe.
Hail, for you properly and righteously
lived in asceticism,
Hail, for you were lawfully crowned
through your struggles.
Hail, new support of the faith,
Hail, corruption and pain of the
faithless.
Hail, you through whom the faithful are
preserved,
Hail, you through whom the lawless are
condemned.Hail, O blessed Father.

Your righteous life and your holy end
remained unknown to all, but was wondrously revealed with your holy
Relics, O all-praised one, thus being made known to the ends of the
earth, and teaching all to chant: Alleluia.

Receiving the divine knowledge of your
godly life, and the revelation of your holy bones, we offer praise to
God, Who glorified you with many wonders, O Ephaim who are blessed of
God, through which you gladden those who cry to you:

Hail, divine healer of Christ,
Hail, beholder of the never-setting
light.
Hail, you who were zealous for the
Righteous in asceticism,
Hail, you who were zealous for the
Martyrs in struggles.
Hail, most-pure vessel of the divine
inbreathing,
Hail, most-fragrant flower of mystical
fragrance.
Hail, for you mindfully denied the
world,
Hail, for you wondrously purchased the
things above.
Hail, you who calms the waves,
Hail, you who lifts up the mind to the
Beloved.
Hail, sower of the love of Christ,
Hail, up-rooter of the delusion of
satan.Hail, O blessed Father.

Your God-given glory was hidden, O
Ephraim, Righteous Martyr of the Lord, and those who beheld the
revelation of your holy relics came to believe through your miracles,
and they faithfully cry to the Lord: Alleluia.

You shone upon Amomon mountain
formerly, and pleased Christ in righteousness. Now, you sanctify your
holy Monastery through your holy relics, O Ephraim, and they dance in
you and cry to you with joy:

Hail, lamp of hesychia,
Hail, type of chastity.
Hail, you who gladden the minds of the
faithful,
Hail, you who shame the mindlessness of
the faithless.
Hail, you who dyed the robe of your
soul in your blood,
Hail, you who sealed your life with the
seals of your struggles.
Hail, for you endured the attacks of
barbarians,
Hail for you were granted eternal
crowns.
Hail, lamp-lighter of righteous
asceticism,
Hail, three-sunned treasury of light.Hail, O blessed Father.

Dissolving every confusion, and
bestowing joy, you appeared to the chaste Abbess, and you revealed to
her truly where your holy bones would be found. She, beholding this
occurrence through God's revelation, cried out: Alleluia.

Hearing your voice, and beholding you
who spoke to her, O all-blessed one, you appeared to the Abbess, O
wise one, and you revealed your name to her, and your holy death, for
which we cry to you words like these:

Hail, O martyr among the Righteous
ones,
Hail, O glorious one among the Saints.
Hail, you who lived a life equal to the
angels,
Hail, you who cultivated the immortal
fruit.
Hail, golden-woven crown of your holy
Monastery,
Hail, evergreen tree of noetic fruit.
Hail, you who struggled on Mount
Amomon,
Hail you who were enriched with
Christ's illumination.
Hail, you who cleanses stains of souls,
Hail, you who gladdens the city of the
faithful.Hail, O blessed Father.

Strange wonders and many appearances,
both to those awake and to those asleep, you revealed to all the
glory which you received from God of old, O Saint, and being
astonished at your radiance, we cry to God: Alleluia.

Healings you pour forth, and joy and
health, from the treasury of your holy bones, to those who hasten to
your Monastery, and seek your help, O Ephraim. Therefore, the
faithful who are nourished by your grace cry out:

Hail, spring of healings,
Hail, dissolver of sicknesses.
Hail, you who appeared to those awake
and by dream,
Hail, you who delivers from every
danger.
Hail, you who mystically sanctifies
those who call upon you,
Hail, you who wondrously gladdens those
who behold you.
Hail, you who heals incurable passions,
Hail, you who delivers from the burdens
of the demons.
Hail, you who often appears, as you
desire,
Hail, you who grants joy, as you
choose.
Hail, builder of a heavenly mansion,
Hail, our fervent protector.Hail, O blessed Father.

The faithful who found themselves
benefited by your many wonders, became your proclaimers, as you gave
wing to their souls. Therefore, a multitude hastens to your
Monastery, and reaps grace from your Relics, crying out: Alleluia.

You appeared shinning as another lamp
from heaven, and recently on Amomon mountain, you became known to
the Church of Christ through the uncovering of your divine Relics,
though before you were utterly unknown, and you move all to cry to
you:

Hail, pillar of the pain the righteous,
Hail, vine of godly laws.
Hail, newly-shining morning star of
Christ,
Hail, newly-made shoes of the Church.
Hail, most-divine image of ascetical
virtues,
Hail, most-secure rock of martyrical
struggles.
Hail, for you lawfully opposed tyrants,
Hail, for you gloriously were
translated to the Lord.
Hail, you who behold the radiance of
Christ,
Hail, you who hymn His goodness.
Hail, you who shine with manliness of
soul,
Hail, you who transform the fury of
enemies.Hail, O blessed Father.

Remaining hidden for many years below
the earth, O God-bearer, you were later made known to us as a
treasure, through the providence of God, O Saint Ephraim, and you
enrich with your grace, those who cry to Christ: Alleluia.

You were shown a new sun to the Church
of Christ, shining with the rays of wonders, and you dissolve the
night of passions for those who hasten fervently to your
intercessions. But, O Righteous Saint, we ever cry to you:

Hail, grape cluster of gladness,
Hail, deliverer from folly.
Hail, God-given healing of the sick,
Hail, deliverance for many who suffer.
Hail, man who bears God, and imitates
the Righteous,
Hail, O Martyr of the King of all, and
godly athlete.
Hail, you who join together asceticism
and martyrdom,
Hail, you who shone with the glory from
above.
Hail, you who dissolve the darkness of
the passions,
Hail, you who were steadfast in your
struggle.Hail, O blessed Father.

Strangely does the grace pour forth
which you bestow, O all-blessed one, to all those who call upon you.
Therefore, throughout all of Attica, the voice of your wonders has
gone forth, and all hasten to your Relics, crying to God: Alleluia.

All illumined and divinely shining, you
were set in your divine Monastery, and you illumine with your new
form those who are pure of heart in the Spirit, and you pour forth
waves of grace to those who cry out to you with fervor:

Hail, boast of monastics,
Hail, armada of the Orthodox.
Hail, treasury of bodiless glory,
Hail, pasture of the wisdom from above.
Hail, heavenly aroma of divine grace,
Hail, divine slaughter of the fury of
barbarians.
Hail, seal of a righteous life,
Hail, cinnamon of spotless virtues.
Hail, star on the mount of Amomon,
Hail, practical rule of the monastic
way.Hail, O blessed Father.

Paralytics you raise up, demoniacs you
heal, and intractable passions you cease, and therefore multitudes
from Athens and Piraeus and other surrounding areas hasten to your
Monastery, O Father, hymning you and crying out: Alleluia.

Your divine words shine with eternal
glory, as you were seen by the pious and wise young [Abbess], and
confessing your protection, which your bestow upon your Monastery,
she cries out words like these:

Hail, new boast of the Righteous,
Hail, bearer of the glory of the
Martyrs.
Hail, sleepless protector of your
Monastery,
Hail, you who dwell with the holy
Angels.
Hail, for you healed those who were
terribly sick,
Hail, for you wondrously raised the
paralytic.
Hail, you who dissolve the weight of
headache,
Hail, you who ceases the passion of
diabetes.
Hail, jewel of the graces of God,
Hail, precious diadem of the faithful.
Hail, O Ephraim, the beauty of
ascetics,
Hail, radiance of your monastics.Hail, O blessed Father.

Your holy vision, while awake or by
sleep, is multiplied in your Monastery, in which dwell chaste nuns,
who are filled with much rejoicing, as they proclaim you their
protector, but cry to God: Alleluia.

With the heavenly myrrh, which you
treasure in your soul, you gladden the hearts of the faithful, and
you made the treasury of your sacred relics to be an ointment store
of fragrance, from which you make fragrant those who piously cry out
to you:

Hail, myrrh-container of grace,
Hail, godly protection of your
Monastery.
Hail, fragrant paradise of
incorruption,
Hail, cypress of holy dispassion.
Hail, for you deposed the enemy who
wars against us,
Hail, for you magnified Christ through
your pains.
Hail, for you lied below the earth for many
years,
Hail, for you shone from the earth by
divine command.
Hail, you who purge the wounds of
souls,
Hail, for you burn up the terrible
arrows.
Hail, you who ever bestow healings,
Hail, you who ever protect us.Hail, O blessed Father.

All the cities of the faithful hymned
the Savior at the finding of your divine and all-sacred bones, O
godly one, for they were preserved unharmed below the earth for many
years. O Ephraim, we honor them, and cry out to you: Alleluia.

Protect your Monastery from every
danger, through your intercessions to the Savior, and grant it, O
Father Ephraim, the gifts of your blessings, which we seek through
your grace, as we ever cry out:

Hail, our unassailable wall,
Hail, unshakable tower of the faithful.
Hail, the most-safe protector of your
Monastery,
Hail, the protector and guardian of
your children.
Hail, God-given foundation of pious
nuns,
Hail, heavenly boast of pious ascetics.
Hail, for you honor the petitions of
the faithful,
Hail, for you ever drive away evils.
Hail, you who intercede to Christ on
behalf of all,
Hail, you who burn up the energy of the
passions.Hail, O blessed Father.

You fill us with grace, and much
rejoicing, and divine exaltation, O Father, and you gladden our
souls, and you also sanctify the bodies, through the treasury of your
relics, of those who cry out to the Trinity: Alleluia.

Praising your struggles in hymns, O
Father, we praise Him Who gave you grace, and standing round your
Relics, we cry out that your protection might be granted to us, O
Saint, that we might ever cry out to you:

Hail, equal in honor to the Righteous,
Hail, companion of the Martyrs.
Hail, partaker of unwaning crowns,
Hail, you who are filled with the
three-sunned illumination.
Hail, very precious gift of your holy
Monastery,
Hail, newly-founded wall of the sacred
Church.
Hail, you who gladden the choirs of the
faithful,
Hail, you who erect holy staircases.
Hail, through whom we are delivered
from distress,
Hail, through whom we are healed from
passions.
Hail, intercessor of the faithful to
Christ,
Hail, my deliverer in dangers.Hail, O blessed Father.

O thrice-praised Father, O Righteous
Martyr Ephraim, the companion of the former Saints (3), with them
entreat Christ, that we be delivered from all kinds of dangers, and
that we might be granted the life to come, we who cry to God:
Alleluia.

And straightaway,

Kontakion in the
Plagal of the Fourth Tone

You dawned like a newly-revealed star
through the revelation of your holy Relics, O Father, and you shine
upon all with the rays of wonders, but ever fulfill the entreaties of
those who faithfully hasten to you, O Saint Ephraim, and cry to you:
hail, O blessed Father.

No comments:

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth...And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." John 1: 14, 16-17

Introduction

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and to the ages of ages! Amen!

"As the Prophets saw, as the Apostles taught, as the Church has received, as the Teachers express in dogma, as the inhabited world understands together with them, as grace illumines, as the truth makes clear, as error has been banished, as wisdom makes bold to declare, as Christ has assured, so we think, so we speak, so we preach, honouring Christ our true God, and his Saints, in words, in writings, in thoughts, in sacrifices, in churches, in icons, worshipping and revering the One as God and Lord, and honouring them because of their common Lord as those who are close to him and serve him, and making to them relative veneration.

This is the faith of the Apostles; this is the faith of the Fathers; this is the faith of the Orthodox; this faith makes fast the inhabited world."Excerpt from the Synodikon of the Sunday of Orthodoxy (http://www.anastasis.org.uk/synodikon.htm)

By the Grace of God, here are presented a few true stories of the Saints, sayings of the Holy Fathers, sacred icons, and many other things so that, maybe in a small way, we may remind ourselves that (though we might not be ready to accept it) Jesus Christ is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, and that the Holy Orthodox Church is full of Christ's GRACE and TRUTH, and is no less than the Kingdom of God on earth.

I must say that I am not a part of the clergy, so I hope to primarily put forth quotations from the Gospel, Saints and Holy Fathers, and not my own opinions. But if you see my own words or opinions, keep in mind that they are my opinions or comments and they have little weight, as opposed to the quotations from Christ, the Saints and the Fathers which do.

I ask forgiveness if in this site any of my passions are acting, hindering the Grace of the Holy Spirit because of my sins. I apologize for any errors of mine, mistakes, problems with translations, etc. due to my ignorance and conceit. If anyone notices any mistakes or can suggest a better translation, please let me know. I try to post all of my sources. Please also let me know if I am violating any copyrights or other laws, and I will do my best to comply.Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

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